Machine for casting straps and posts on sets of battery plates



Feb, 20, 1934. H. w. LORMOR.

MACHINE FOR CASTING STRAPS AND POSTS ON SETS 0F BATTERY PLATES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 50, 193i WWZZ? o ll' l ll HUI llllLIllll Feb. 20, 1934. w LQRMQR 1,948,120

SETS of BATTERY PLATES MACHINE FOR CASTING STRAPS AND POSTS ON Filed Sept. 30, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 20,

PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR CASTING STRAPS AND POSTS N SETS OF BATTERY PLATES Henry W. Lormor, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, as-

signor to Willard Storage Battery Company,

Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of West Virginia Application September 30, 1931 Serial No. 565.995

8 Claims. (CI- 22-58) This invention relates to a machine for easting straps and posts on sets of battery plates. One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a machine wherein the metal is caused to flow into a closed mold cavity furnished with a reservoir above the level of the cavity whereby the formation of dross and impe fections is eliminated and a nicely finished article is produced.

Another object is the provision of a machine wherein the metal flows downwardly into the mold cavity rather than upwardly, or sidewise, so that there is little if any agitation of the metal after it enters the cavity.

Another object is the provision of a machine in which the mold cover is caused to cut away the gate metal when the cover is withdrawn from operative position.

Another object is the provision of a simple 20 and effective means for ejecting a complete battery element from the machine after the casting operation is completed.

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational View, partly in vertical section, of a machine for carrying out the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the said machine;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing in detail one of the covers for the mold cavities;

"Fig. 5 is an elevational view, partly in vertical section, of the straps and posts of a battery element made in accordance with my invention, the plates and separators of the element being indicated by dotted lines; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmental elevational view of a $5 strap and post cast onto the lugs of a set of inverted plates.

In carrying out the present invention, I pre- 61 to make up complete battery elements of positive and negative plates with the necessary separators, all assembled in proper relation. These complete elements are then inverted and placed in a machine having mold cavities of the proper form so arranged as to receive the two sets of plate lugs, after which molten metal is poured into the cavities and permitted to harden. It will, of course, be obvious that the two sets of plates, the one positive and the other negative, could be made up separately if desired and the straps and posts cast thereupon before the plates and separators were assembled together, and this latter procedure is to be regarded as within the spirit of the present invention.

The apparatus or machine herein illustrated. by means of which the invention may be carried into efiect, is hand operated, but it will be readily understood that the structure may be modified, for power operation, either as a single unit or as a part of a more complex machine.

In the drawings, the end frame members of the machine are indicated at and the side members at 11. Within the frame there is mounted a base 12 and a mold block 13. In the bottom of the latter there is the chamber 14 in which is mounted a plate 15 that is adapted to move up and down in the chamber, as will presently appear.

In the mold block 13 there are formed two mold cavities 16 and 17, the upper portions of which are shaped to form the two straps of the battery element. The cavity 16 comprises a depending, substantially cylindrical portion 18, which may be located midway between the ends of the strap portion, and may be relatively large in order to serve as the mold for a terminal post. The cavity 17 also comprises a depending portion 19 of somewhat smaller diameter, designed to form an intermediate post. Of course, it will be understood that where the invention is used in the manufacture of batteries having a plurality of cells, it may be desirable to employ more than one form of mold, as for instance a mold for each of the end cells comprising both large and small post cavities, and a mold for the intermediate cells comprising two 95 small or intermediate post cavities.

In the present instance, the post cavity 19 is closed by a plunger 20 which is fixedly mounted within the plate 15 and extends upwardly into a bore aligned with and communicating with the cavity 19. The larger post is preferably cast hollow in order to secure the greatest possible strength for the amount of metal used. To this end a core piece 21 is mounted in the base member 12 and extends upwardly into the cavity 18. A sleeve 22 surrounds the core 21 and is slidable thereupon, being mounted in the plate 15. This sleeve serves to close the lower end of the cavity and also acts with the plunger 20 to eject the completed battery element when the plate 15 is (iii raised from the position illustrated in Fig. 1.

The raising and lowering of the plate 15 may be effected by any suitable means, that disclosed herein comprising 8. depending post 23 attached to the plate 15 and extending through an opening in the base 12, and having near its lower extremity a recess 24 adapted to receive the rounded extremity 25 of a hand lever 26, which carries a trunnion 27 that has bearing in a pair of brackets 28 secured to the bottom of the base 12. I

On the top of mold block 13 midway between its ends I mount by means of screws 29, a plate 30, having a series of upwardly projecting ribs 31 between which are formed spaces for the reception of the battery plates. On either side of the plate there are cover plates 32 and 33 respectively, which slide horizontally upon the top of mold block 13 into and out of operative position above the cavities 16 and 17, the plate 32 being shown in operative and the plate 33 in inoperative position in Figs. 1 and 2. Each of the plates 32 and 33 is provided with a series of slots 34 which extend backwardly from the forward edges of the plates and stand above the mold cavities 16 and 17 when the cover plates are in operative position. These slots receive the lugs of the inverted battery plates, spacing them apart accurately and assisting in maintaining the plates in proper vertical position, the slots of one cover member being staggered with respect to the slots of the other member, so that the battery plates mounted with their lugs in one cover member may be interleaved with the plates mounted in the other cover member.

The underside of each of these cover members is provided with a shallow recess 35 which extends from the outer edge of the member inwardly and ends in a series of scallops, providing inlets 36 which are arranged between adjacent slots 34. These inlets constitute passages connecting the recess 35 with the cavities 16 and 1'7 respectively when the cover plates are in operative position; These inlets are so machined as to present sharp edges for cutting away the gate metal, as will presently be described.

Suitable means is provided for guiding the cover plates 32 and 33 in their movements back and forth, that illustrated in the drawings consisting of depending slides 37 on the cover plates running in suitably formed ways in the mold block 13. Along both side edges of the cover plates I mount racks 38 which are engaged by pinions 39 keyed to trunnions 40, which turn in the frame side members 11.

Each pair of trunnions 40 is adapted to be rotated by a crank or lever 41 through the intermediacy of a yoke 42 attached to the inner ends of the trunnions, the transverse portion of each yoke being hollowed out on its inner side to form a reservoir 43, the end wall of the mold block 13 constituting the remaining wall of the reservoir. The corners of the block 13 are beveled off as indicated at 44 and thereby provide a passage connecting each reservoir 43 with the corresponding recess 35 so that molten metal poured into the reservoir 43 flows through the recess 35 and the inlets 36 into the cavity 16 or 17, as the case may be, entering the cavity not from the side, or from below, but from above and along one edge of the cavity, the inlets 36 directing the metal in streams flowing transversely across the cavity between the lugs whereby there is as little opposition to the flow as is possible, the agitation of the metal is kept at a minimum and the hot metal flowing along the sides of the lugs heats them up quickly to the temperature necessary for a good union with the cast parts.

Across the outer edges of the cover plates 32 and 33 I mount rails 45 which are preferably formed with rabbets at their inner upper corners for the reception of the separators (not shown The two rails 45 are so placed that the battery plates will descend between them when the covers are in operative position, while the separators will be engaged by them and prevented from descending below the level of the rabbets. The separators'are thereby supported well above the cover plates during the castingoperation.

In Fig. 5 I have shown at a hollow terminal post such as would be formed in the post cavity 18 of Fig. 1. The bore of this post at its outer end is enlarged somewhat, providing a shouldered portion in which there may be mounted a lead or other plug 51 in order to reinforce the post and prevent its deformation in use. This plug is, of course, set in place after the battery element is withdrawn from the casting machine. The strap which unites the lugs of one set of plates to each other and to the post 50 is shown at 52 in this figure and in Fig. 6. The lugs of the plates are shown at 53. In Fig. 5 the other post of the element, in this case an intermediate post, is illustrated at 54, being a solid post of smaller diameter than the post 50 but of approximately the same cross-sectional area, so that the electric resistances of the two posts are substantially identical.

Operation.A complete battery element, consisting of positive plates, negative plates, and separators, properly arranged with respect to each other, is assembled. Then, with both levers 41 in their lowered position, and with the plate 15 in its lowered position, the battery ele-' ment is inverted and lowered into position, the battery plates being caused to descend between the rails 45 and the separators being engaged by the rails and raised out of their normal positions with respect to the plates. The lugs of the two sets of plates are thus causedto project downwardly into the cavities 16 and 17. Molten metal is now poured into each of the reservoirs 43 until the respective cavities and their post extensions are filled with metal, and until the metal rises in the reservoirs to a level above the tops of the cavities whereby a good head of metal is obtained. The metal of the castings is then permitted to solidify by cooling, after which the operator grasps the handles 41 and swings them to their upper position, thereby causing the pinions 39 to move the racks 38 outwardly. The cover plates 32 and 33 being attached to the racks, also move outwardly. The first effect of such movement is to cause the sharp edges of the inlets 36, working against the outer edges of the cavities 16 and 17, to cut off the small columns of gate metal formed in the inlets 36 flush with the then upper sides of the straps. At the same time, the cover plates are withdrawn from above the straps and the slots of the covers are moved out of engagement with the lugs of the plates. Also, the cover members 32 and 33 push against the gate metal contained within the recesses 35 and the passages above the beveled off portions of the mold block and discharge it out of the machine, the yokes 42 with their reservoirs 43 having been moved out o! the way in the meantime, as indicated at the right hand side of Fig. 1. The two operations of cutting off the gate metal and discharging it from the machine, as well as the operation of withdrawing the covers from the mold cavities, are performed substantially simultaneously by the actuation of a single operating lever on either side of the machine.

,With the two covers out of the way, in positions corresponding to the position of cover 33 in Figs. 1 and 2, the battery element may be withdrawn from the machine, and this is effected by operation of the hand lever 26 which, when depressed, forces the post 23 upwardly. The plate 15 which is fixed upon the post 23, therefore moves upwardly, and in so doing raises plunger 20 and sleeve 22, thereby pushing the posts 54 and 50 upwardly and breaking them loose from the mold together with the straps with which they are integrally connected. The 'whole battery element may then be readily lifted out, after which the machine may be put into condition for the next operation.

The machine is designed to reduce to a minimum the formation of dross, which is'oxidation of the alloy being poured. The use of a cover for the mold is, of course, beneficial in that it tends to keep air away from the metal. During the pouring it is impossible to prevent all contact of the metal with the air, but that contact is of such short duration as to accomplish very little oxidation. Since, in the use of my machine, there is provision for a head of metal above the level of the finished casting, whatever dross does form in the metal while cooling rises to the top of the metal in the reservoir 43, and hence is outside of the casting proper and is cut away.

In the foregoing description, I have necessarily gone somewhat into detail in order to explain fully the particular embodiments of the invention herein illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that such detailed disclosures are not to be construed as amounting to limitations except as they may be included in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the type described, a mold having a post and strap cavity therein for forming a post and strap in an inverted position, a horizontally slidable cover for said cavity having slots therethrough for the reception of the lugs of the inverted plates, said cover having a series of gate openings leading into said cavity along one side thereof, said openings being located between adjacent lug positions, and means on said cover for cutting off the gate metal standing in said gate openings as said cover is shifted to inoperative position.

2. In a machine of the class described, a mold having a pair of post and strap cavities therein for forming the posts and straps of a battery element in inverted position, a pair of horizontally slidable covers for said cavities, each cover having slots therethrough for the reception of the lugs of the plates of an inverted battery element, each of said covers having an upwardly extending projection thereon adapted to support the separators of the element when the covers are in operative position, said covers having recesses on the undersides thereof adapted tend downwardly into said cavity, means upon' the cover for supporting the separators arranged between the plates in a position above said cover, said cover and separator support being movable together so that whenthe cover is withdrawn the separators are descend a limited distance.

4. In a machine of the class described,'a mold.

having a strap and post cavity therein, acover for said cavity adapted to slide into and out of operative position, the lower side of said cover permitted to having a recess therein adapted to extend over the edge of the cavity when the cover is. in its operative position.

5. In a machine of the class described, a mold having a strap and post cavity therein, means for supporting inverted plates with their lugs extending downwardly into said cavity, a cover for said cavity having slots for the reception of said lugs and adapted to slide into and out of operative position, said cover having a recess in its lower side, the forward end of said recess being scalloped so as to provide a series of inlets located opposite the spaces between adjacent lugs, said inlets being adapted to overlie one edge of said cavity when the cover operative position.

6. In a machine of the class described, a mold having a cavity therein to receive the lugs of inverted battery plates, a cover for said cavity slidable into and out of operative position, means for moving said cover comprising a lever pivotally connected with the mold, and a reservoir arranged in communication with said cavity when the cover is in operative position, aportion ofsaid reservoir being carried by said lever, whereby the gate metal is free to drop out-of place when the lever is swung to withdraw said cover to inoperative position.

7. In a machine of the class described, a mold having a cavity therein to receive the lugs of inverted battery plates, a cover for said cavity slidable into and out of operative position, said cover having a recess in its lower side adapted to extend over the edge of said cavity when the cover is in operative position, whereby molten metal may enter the cavity through said recess, the withdrawal of the cover acting to cut away the gate metal in said recess.

8. In a machine of the class described, a mold having a cavity therein to receive the lugs of isin' inverted battery plates, a cover for said cavity slidable into and out of operative position, means HENRY W. LORMOR. 

